This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Happy First Day of Spring

It's 20th March - the first day of Spring! It's been lovely weather and I spent the weekend tidying up borders, sowing seed, and planting potatoes on St Patrick's Day!

Our time changes this Sunday, whereas the hour springing forward already took place in the USA. It'll be great to have an extra hour at night to get out in the garden! Here's a little update...
Currently in flower - Bachelor's Buttons / Kerria Japonica - a great hedging shrub that produces amazing flowers this time of year. Plant Strengths:  Sun loving drought tolerant plant; all round tough plant suitable for problem areas; ideal for fast growing screening; tolerates cold exposed locations; tolerates heavy clay soils.

Above: Canterbury Bells Mixed, (Hardy Biennial), grown from seed last year. Over the weekend they were planted in the ground. The one in the middle is two plants that I didn't bother pulling apart.

Another plant grown last year from seed -Lupin to the right and Columbine / Aquilegia to the left/back. I didn't bother pulling them apart when I planted them. Now I'm wondering why I left them that way!
This photo was taken at a local garden centre. It amazed me how these daffodil manage to stay so straight as most of mine are wind battered and anything but straight and tall.

Happy Official Spring!
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8 comments:

  1. HolleyGarden20 March 2012 at 19:01

    Happy Spring! Sounds like some wonderful garden chores to herald in spring. Your new little plants are looking great. And your daffodils are so cheery. Perhaps the fence behind the daffodils at the garden center help protect them from the wind.

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  2. Malay-Kadazan girl20 March 2012 at 19:37

    I think the lupin and columbine will look great together when they start to bloom. So cheerful there.

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  3. Malar20 March 2012 at 20:14

    The daffodils look so good!

    Soon your garden will burst with so much flowers!~!

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  4. Jo21 March 2012 at 02:38

    I'm so looking forward to the clocks going forward, though I've noticed it staying light for much longer on an evening recently anyway. It's time to start sowing in earnest.

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  5. Sue Garrett21 March 2012 at 04:41

    Our daffodils are in full flower too. Looks to me as though those at the garden centre have been grown on in pots - the base of the stem is very pale! They have maybe just been planted out so no battering yet. I wonder too if they have grown up towards a light as the stems look very tall for the size of the flower heads!

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  6. Crystal21 March 2012 at 04:57

    Your lupin and columbine should be fine. The columbine flowers first, so when it's finished the lupin will take over the display. Most of my columbines are planted very close to other plants, and never seem to suffer.

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  7. Egretta Wells blog21 March 2012 at 13:02

    Hi Kelli, It will be so nice when the time changes and you have more day light to work in your garden. Your flowers look healthy and nice. Can't wait to see the lupins in full bloom! Happy first day of Spring!

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  8. RobinL25 March 2012 at 19:45

    Welcome spring, indeed! No season is more welcome to a gardener.

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